An early 18th century house in the centre of Peterborough in need of a £1.5million restoration has had its deteriorating condition highlighted by English Heritage.
Historic Laurel Court, in The Precincts of Peterborough Cathedral, has been added to English Heritage’s At Risk Register - meaning the Elizabethan building is more likely to get financial aid to bring it back to its former glory.
It is hoped the former home to Peterborough Cathedral’s choir will be turned into three apartments, but Peterborough Cathedral, which owns the Grade I listed building, needs £1.5 million for the work.
Canon Richard Cattle said it was vital the building was saved.
He said: “This is a very significant 18th Century building and is the last of its type in Peterborough, but it has seen better days.
“The cathedral has spent significant amounts of money restoring it, but can’t afford to keep doing so.
“We will turn it into three residential units - two flats, and one apartment for a music or theology student.
“They [English Heritage] have recognised other buildings in the city in this way in the past, and put a third of the cost towards the repairs. This independent recognition will help us get more outside funding.”
Laurel Court is one of 92 Grade I and Grade II listed buildings, along with dozens of other monuments, that are on the register in the east of the country.
Greg Luton, planning director for the East of England, said: “Grade II listed buildings are the bulk of the East of England’s heritage treasury. When one of them is lost, it’s as though someone has rubbed out a bit of the past – something that made your street or your village special will have gone.
“Just over 52,000 Grade II buildings is not a large number in relation to all the buildings in the East of England but it is too many for English Heritage to survey on its own. We need help from local authorities, national parks, heritage and community groups to find the most efficient way of conducting such an exercise.”
Find out more on the English Heritage’s ‘Heritage At Risk’ programme on their website.
Also on the register
Laurel Court is one of eight buildings added to the At Risk Register this year.
Sections of Peterborough Cathedral’s precinct wall, some dating back to medieval times, are also at risk. Some repairs have been carried out.
Other buildings said to be at risk include Eye Town Hall in Eye, Suffolk; an atomic bomb store in Barnham, Suffolk; and Fakenham gas works, in Norfolk.
They join important buildings already on the register, including the 160-year-old post office sorting office, in George Street, Huntingdon.
Add your comments on our website below, email news@peterboroughtoday.co.uk, or visit our Your Say page to get in touch or write to us
Comments